I've gotten loose leaf black teas from places like Upton, Harney & Sons, SpecialTeas, New Mexico Tea Company... all were fine, none were better or more affordable than Adagio. I go to specialty-type companies for certain teas like Japanese greens, first-flush Darjeeling, and certain oolongs, but I find Adagio is a great place to buy staples and explore new types of tea varietals. I highly recommend the various samplers they have... it was a great introduction to a new world of tea for me.

I'm just about to place an order with http://www.vithanakandeteas.com/ directly from Sri Lanka. I like their FBOPF Extra Special and cost $ 9.80 for 125g. This full body black tea is really nice without milk and sugar. It's available in my local tea shop but I save a bit on ordering directly from the factory. I was also promised the freshest tea possible straight from production

I shop at Silver Tips, in nearby Tarrytown, NY, but they also sell online at http://www.silvertipstea.com. They carry four Ceylons including my favorite Kenilworth. The owner's sister is married to the master of the Makaibari estate, so Anupa really knows her stuff.

Last edited by sneakers on Dec 29th, '10, 03:42, edited 1 time in total.

puttabong wrote:I'm just about to place an order with http://www.vithanakandeteas.com/ directly from Sri Lanka. I like their FBOPF Extra Special and cost $ 9.80 for 125g. This full body black tea is really nice without milk and sugar. ...

It sounds yummy. Am I correct that 125 gm is roughly 4.5 ounces? That's very reasonable. And what would the postage be on that? Is this stronger than Kenilworth Estate?

puttabong wrote:I'm just about to place an order with http://www.vithanakandeteas.com/ directly from Sri Lanka. I like their FBOPF Extra Special and cost $ 9.80 for 125g. This full body black tea is really nice without milk and sugar. ...

It sounds yummy. Am I correct that 125 gm is roughly 4.5 ounces? That's very reasonable. And what would the postage be on that? Is this stronger than Kenilworth Estate?

The tea is really yummy. I bought six boxes for $58.80 shipped in two boxes (to avoid customs and taxes here in Norway) for $8.65 per parcel. The total cost came to $76.10. Shipped from Sri Lanka on 13 December and received on 24 December.

The tea smells fresh and tastes really good. I'm not good at describing taste. Cinnamon and caramel maybe. It doesn't remind me of anything I have tried from Sri Lanka before. Maybe more like Chinese blacks. I steep it for 3 minutes on 85 degrees with a water/tea ratio 1:1. I will try to increase the amount of tea and steep for shorter time. I'm curious how gong fu will work. Give it a try!